Memories of the Shadows
by Kiri-Ryu
Summary: Seto Kaiba has always shunned the existence of magic and destiny. However, when the Millennium Rod is placed in his hands, he may have no choice but to believe in the imposible.
1. Prologue

No quirky introduction this time, straight into the fic.  
  
~~~  
  
Memories of the Shadows  
  
A Yu-gi-oh fanfic  
  
Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic.  
  
/Hikari to Yami/  
  
//Yami to Hikari//  
  
{Thoughts}  
  
~~~  
  
Prologue  
  
~~~  
  
The sun bathed it's last light onto the world, illuminating the lake, making it glow a deep golden colour. Two figures were at the lake's bank, one standing and the other sitting. The one sitting was twirling a staff like object between his fingers.  
  
'..... So, we are to return home then....' The sitting figure sighed.  
  
'Not for long. Domino City will become our new home. It'll take some time to getting used to the weather but...' The standing figure shook her head. '.... We'll be accepted. Here, at least, we can be ourselves. And even without the Millennium Tauk, I can see that Domino will be the center of many important events to come.'  
  
'There you go again, predicting the future,' The sitting figure chuckled. 'The future is what we make of it Isis, You should have learned this when you lost to Kaiba.' He stood up and stretched his arms.  
  
'What are you going to do with it?' Isis asked, referring to the Millennium Rod that Malik had in his hands.  
  
'......... I don't want a repeating of the past. I realize that Yami Malik is part of me, but it was because of the Rod that he was able to take control. I would rather not have that happen again.' Malik drew back his arm and threw the Rod into the lake. 'Let someone else handle the Rod. And may Ra help that person, for the power that the Rod contains is not to be taken lightly'  
  
'Let's go Malik' Isis turned from the lake. 'Tomorrow, we leave for Egypt to pick up some things that we left behind.'  
  
Malik nodded to his sister. He turned to look at the lake once, then went to pick up the pieces of his past.  
  
~~~  
  
The Rod was pleased. It had been discarded and was now free to seek it's true owner. It began to send out small pulses of magic, to seek a host and to start twisting events. The Rod had waited long enough for their joining. Now was the time to act.  
  
~~~   
  
R&R please 


	2. Discovery

Memories of the Shadows  
  
A Yu-gi-oh fanfic  
  
Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic.  
  
/Hikari to Yami/  
  
//Yami to Hikari//  
  
{Thoughts}  
  
~~~  
  
Chapter 1- Discovery  
  
'Setooooooo' Mokuba wined to his older brother. 'You promised to take me to the movies today!'  
  
'That was before I was realized that my Battle City Tournament considerably delayed my paperwork.' Kaiba typed furiously at his computer, barely looking at Mokuba.  
  
'But it's the last screening! If we don't go today, then I'll have to wait 'til it comes on video!'  
  
'Good, it'll be cheaper that way.'  
  
'Seto, you're the richest guy in town, if you think going to see a movie is expensive, then Kaiba Corp must be having problems.' Mokuba looked sweetly at his brother. It didn't work.  
  
'Why don't you go watch TV, or do something to take your mind of that stupid film.'  
  
'But.....' Mokuba sighed. It looked like he'd have to take some more..... indirect actions. He sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV. He channel surfed for a while before he found what he was looking for. The Crocodile Hunter. He grinned as Steve Irwin tried desperately to catch a venomous snake. Mokuba knew that Kaiba hated this show with a vengeance.  
  
'Mokuba, could you watch something else?' Kaiba asked. Mokuba responded by turning up the volume. Amazingly, Kaiba didn't give into the Crocodile Hunter treatment, although he visibly twitched every time Steve said "Crickey!". Mokuba grimaced, time for plan two. This wasn't going to be pretty. He flicked over to an episode of Passions. The result was almost instantaneous. By the time Tabetha and Timmy started talking, Kaiba had leapt from his computer and hit the off button on the remote control. Unfortunately for him, Mokuba had taken out the batteries.  
  
'Can we go and see that movie now Kaiba?' Mokuba asked with an innocent look.  
  
'Turn it off now.' Kaiba's tone was murderous.  
  
'Movie?' Mokuba's eyes went big and cute. Kaiba's eye twitched.  
  
'......... Promise never to turn that show on again and you have a deal.'  
  
'Yay!' Mokuba ran up to the TV and switched it off, the then rushed to the front door and started pestering Kaiba to hurry up. Kaiba grabbed a coat from the rack and slung it over his shoulder. Even though he was skipping paperwork that needed to be completed, all seemed right. He felt pleasure, no sense of guilt at all. This would have seemed wrong to him if it wasn't for a small voice, undetectable from his regular thoughts, telling him that everything was fine and perfect.  
  
~~~  
  
Elsewhere in town, a figure looked out in the general direction of a lake. Yami Yugi was suspicious. He sensed magic being emitted, but is was too faint to track properly. He scowled and folded his arms.  
  
'What is it?' Yugi looked up from the book he was reading.  
  
'Something is performing a magic spell.' Yami said, still looking out the window.  
  
'Something?' Yugi sat up. 'Like what? And what sort of magic spell?'  
  
'I don't know.....' Yami shook his head. 'It's too faint for me to work out any details. All I do know is that it's there.'  
  
'Well, if it's so faint, then there is no reason to worry, right?'  
  
'Not all spells have to be powerful to be devastating.' Yami turned to his Hikari, a worried expression on his face. 'Something is happening. And since I can't find it's source, it has the potential to be something more dangerous that anything we have faced before.'  
  
'...... But Yami, we have always been able to overcome difficulties, why would this time be any different?' Yami was silent for a while, then he spoke in a quiet tone.  
  
'This magic seems.... Familiar in some way. Like we've faced it before. But at the same time it is different, unlike any magic that I can remember.' He shook his head. 'Maybe I'm being paranoid.' Yami turned back to the window. Yugi sighed, knowing well that his dark self was taking this far too seriously. How many times had he become worried over nothing? But something in the pit of his stomach told him that it wasn't nothing, that once again, history would repeat itself. He shook his head and returned to his book, ignoring his gut instinct and Yami's warnings.  
  
~~~  
  
The night air was crisp, the temperature was comfortably warm and the full moon bathed the town in light. Two people were seen walking to the cinema, one more desperate to get there than the other.  
  
'Seto, we're going to be late!' Mokuba wined. 'If you hadn't been so obsessed with that paperwork of yours, then we would be there already!'  
  
Let the child go ahead  
  
'Mokuba, you can go ahead of me if you wish.' Kaiba told his brother. Wanting to waste no time, Mokuba hurried ahead.  
  
Take a detour to the lake  
  
Seeing at it was such a magnificent night, Kaiba decided to take a small detour to the lake in the middle of town. And he still was heading towards the cinema, so it wasn't really going to delay him too much.  
  
The moon glimmered on the surface of the water, giving it a mercury like appearance. It seemed unnaturally calm. Kaiba detected none of this, his usually alert mind was fogged.  
  
Go closer to the bank  
  
Kaiba strolled closer to the bank of the lake, just so that his shoes were above the soft ripples of the water. It was then that he spotted it. At first he thought that he was imagining things. There was no way that it could be just lying on the bank of Lake Domino. But as he got closer, there became no doubt.  
  
There lay the Millennium Rod.  
  
'But..... How?' He murmured to himself. Last time he saw the artifact, it was in the possession of Malik Ishtal, the previous owner of one of the three Egyptian God cards. Kaiba approached the rod, attracted to it like a moth is to flame.  
  
Pick up the Rod  
  
Kaiba bent over, as if to pick up the Millennium Rod, but he hesitated just before he made contact with it's smooth surface. Something felt...... Strange. Almost like the feeling when he saw that tablet that Isis showed him, and when he had the vision during his duel with Isis. He did not like this feeling.  
  
Pick up the Rod  
  
His fingers twitched. He felt the urge to take it in his grasp, but some sort of logic in his mind told him that there was something....... Wrong.  
  
Pick it up NOW!!  
  
Kaiba's hand clasped around the Millennium Rod's handle. The feeling of wrongness disappeared, replaced with a feeling of completed destiny. He felt pride, as if he had completed a difficult task that no-one else had managed to do.  
  
You are late, hurry to the child and this "Movie"  
  
Kaiba checked his watch, then swore. He was 5 minutes late for the movie. He pocketed the Millennium rod and began to run towards the cinema. He'd have to make up an excuse to Mokuba later.  
  
~~~  
  
Finally, they had been reconnected. The Millennium Rod sent small tendrils of magic out to absorb energy. The need to recharge fully took over most of it's attention. Soon would come the time to show itself to it's new host, but now was the time to gain enough energy to start to truly manipulate shadow magic once again.  
  
~~~  
  
R&R please 


	3. Initiation

I wish to apologise to Alexia Black1. I had no idea that you had a fic also entitles "Shadows of the Past" As you have requested, I have changed the title. Hopefuly, this one isn't taken too.  
  
~~~  
  
Memories of the Shadows  
  
A Yu-gi-oh fanfic  
  
Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic.  
  
/Hikari to Yami/  
  
//Yami to Hikari//  
  
{Thoughts}  
  
~~~  
  
Chapter 2- Initiation  
  
Domino High, the largest school in Domino city, was slowly being filled up with students. But there was a lack of energy in the school-yard. Most of the students were on the verge of sleep, others were sluggish and unaware. There were only a few that seemed to be moderately alert. One of those people was Ryou Bakura, or rather, his darker side. Yami Bakura scowled. He sensed the magical field that absorbed the energy of the townsfolk. Where it came from, however, was a mystery to even the Millennium Ring's searches. The only reason that he remained unaffected to the slow draining of energy was that he had expanded a small magical boundary around himself. But his host would have to attend classes soon, and he knew nothing about Shadow Magic. It was a choice of either taking Ryou's place in class, a task he loathed, or let his host's energy slowly dwindle until the end of school. He relinquished control of the body to his light side and retreated to his soul room. As usual, he left a small tendril of consciousness in his host so he could watch out for signs of this Magic User. But for now, he remained dormant, leaving the daily tasks up to Ryou to perform.  
  
~~~  
  
Yugi approached the school. Once again, he was late, thanks to Yami's overly cautious warnings. He personally saw no danger in a small amount of active magic in the world, but his dark side refused to believe that this was something small. Not to mention that Yami was sure that the "Baka Tomb Robber" was the cause of this magic leakage. Yugi sighed and entered the school. What first hit him was the lack of movement. Most of the students were slumped over the nearest stable object, including other students. Wariness filled the air, and Yugi immediately knew that this was not natural. His first reaction was to contact Yami.  
  
/Yami? What's up with everyone?/  
  
//Do not break my concentration!// Was Yami's only reply.  
  
/What do you mean?/  
  
//Right now, the barrier that I am trying to maintain is the only thing that keeps you from feeling the same fatigue as the others.// Yugi felt a feeling of smugness come from Yami. //"It's probably nothing. Just a random outburst of magic"//  
  
/OK Yami, I admit that it is more serious than I originally thought. But it's still relatively small compared to some magic./  
  
//Time will eventually show you the seriousness of this situation.// With that, Yami severed their mental connection. Yugi blinked and looked around. The wariness of the others was almost infectious. He shook his head and headed towards the wall where he met up with the others before school.  
  
'Yugi!' A voice called out to him. He turned to face Ryou Bakura.  
  
'Hey Bakura. How come you aren't zoned out like the other people?' Yugi asked his white haired friend.  
  
'Well, my Yami was in control until recently. I think he was trying to find out who is controlling this magic.'  
  
'It's that serious that Yami Bakura is worried?!' Yugi exclaimed.  
  
'Well, not worried. More....' Ryou tried to find the right word. '..... Curious. Whoever, or whatever, is controlling this must be quite strong in the use of Shadow Magic.'  
  
'Maybe we'll find answers in school.' Yugi shrugged. The two set off to meet with the others.  
  
''lo Yugi, Bakura.' Jounouchi greeted them warily. It was unnatural to see the blond without some type of energy.  
  
'Hey Jou. Seems that you're suffering the effects of this magic as well.' Yugi looked around. 'Err, where is Anzu, Otogi and Honda?'  
  
'They felt too tired to come to school. Don't blame them really.' He yawned loudly. Bakura looked worried.  
  
'How long will this thing last? It's only been a few hours and most of the people around here are barely awake.'  
  
'I suppose we could look on the bright side.' Yugi tried to lighten the mood up a bit. 'The teachers are probably feeling as tired as the rest of the school.'  
  
'That is a good point' Jounouchi agreed. 'Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep in class' He added hopefully.  
  
'That's not a rare occurrence.' Ryou commented. The bell rang before Jounouchi could make a comeback. Yugi sighed and started heading for class, the others close behind.  
  
//Do you see now what worries me?// Yami contacted him.  
  
/I still think that this isn't as big as you make it out to be./  
  
//This is something that can't be simply shrugged off. To do so would be ignorant of these events that are unfolding. Keep a lookout for anything unusual and alert me to it. We must find the cause of this magic, and it could be anything.//  
  
~~~  
  
Kaiba entered the class to find that most people were suffering from extreme fatigue.  
  
'Pathetic.' He said under his breath. He sat at his desk and observed the class. Only Yugi and Ryou seemed to be alert, the rest of the class was barely even awake. He dismissed it as a passing disease that they hadn't caught yet. The teacher entered the class and slumped down at his desk.  
  
'Since everyone is so tired, including the staff, then you get the day off free.' The teacher thumped his head on his desk. The class sighed with relief.  
  
'Strange...' Kaiba commented. Never had he heard of an entire day being canceled because of a simple cold going around.  
  
'Kaiba, aren't you feeling tired too?' Kaiba turned to look at Yugi, who had a questioning look on his face.  
  
'Why should I? I haven't come into contact with this disease until I came here.' He raised an eyebrow. Something told him that this illness wasn't what it seemed.  
  
'Disease? What are you....' Yugi paused, his eyes going blank. It was amazing how often he did that. 'Ah. You mean the illness that has gripped the rest of the class...'  
  
'What else would I refer to?! A sudden outburst of German Measles?!' Kaiba snapped.  
  
'I'm sorry, I thought that there might be another.'  
  
'Unless there is something else around that has the exact symptoms as this one, then I think not.' He swung his gaze back to the front of the class. After a few minutes of doing nothing, he became bored. Surely there was something to do. He once again turned to look at Yugi. He was in the middle of a duel with Ryou. With a contempt sigh, Kaiba wandered over to spectate.  
  
'What brings you here?' Ryou asked without looking up.  
  
'If you haven't noticed, there isn't much to do. So I decided to enlighten you with my presence.' Kaiba pulled up a chair. Yugi was obviously winning, but the tides could change at anytime.  
  
'Dark Magician attacks your face-down card.' Yugi announced. Ryou flipped over the card, revealing the Man-eater Bug. Yugi groaned as he sent his Dark Magician to the Graveyard. Ryou then placed three Fiend type cards out of play and brought out his Dark Necrophilia, and he summoned out a Vorse Raider and obliterated the remainder of Yugi's life points.  
  
'I wasn't expecting that....' Yugi blinked.  
  
'And you call yourself the King of Games.' Kaiba chuckled. 'Maybe I should take back my title as the world's best duelist right here.'  
  
'......' Yugi looked at the floor. He wasn't sure if he could beat Kaiba without Yami's guidance, but his other was too busy concentrating on the barrier. And if he declined the duel, he would be throwing his honour away. 'I guess, but I haven't been dueling the best today.' Kaiba switched places with Ryou and the duel began. As Yugi predicted, he lost the first match, but managed to win the next two. The rest of the day went in the same way, a few duels and a break for lunch. Then the last bell of school rang and just as they had entered, the students slumped out and back home. The last message of the day was that it was a pupil free day tomorrow due to there being a mysterious sickness. Only two people truly knew that it was an ancient form of magic, and both Yami and Yami Bakura were searching frantically for the cause.  
  
~~~~  
  
R&R please 


	4. Awakening

Memories of the Shadows  
  
A Yu-gi-oh fanfic  
  
Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic.  
  
/Hikari to Yami/  
  
//Yami to Hikari//  
  
{Thoughts}  
  
~~~  
  
Chapter 3- Awakening  
  
'The strange epidemic that has swept through Domino city shows no sign of relenting. Almost everyone in the city has contracted this mystery disease, and so far tests have shown no sign of any viral infection. Is this the latest in biological warfare? Or has the entire tow-'  
  
Kaiba turned off the TV and scowled. Everyone was taking this too seriously... Although, it was an unusual disease. Nothing like it was recorded in history.  
  
'Just a passing bug' Kaiba said to reassure himself. He got up and stretched, then walked over to his laptop. One positive thing about this disease, his suppliers and consumers were affected by it as well, giving him extra time to complete his paper work. He turned the laptop on, and waited for the screen to load up. Absent-mindedly, he drew the Millennium Rod form his coat pocket and twirled it around in his fingers. He paused, and for the first time in a while, he looked a it closely. It seemed to be glowing.  
  
'Can't be....' He said slowly. He got up and flicked the light switch. The Millennium rod was, indeed, glowing. Kaiba puzzled over this for a while. {Perhaps this thing is more dangerous than I thought. I don't know why I picked it up in the first place...}  
  
But I must keep it. It holds great importance  
  
{Yes, great importance..... But, why does it hold importance to me?}  
  
It's my destiny to own the Rod. My life has centered around this moment.  
  
{The Rod is my destiny.......} Something was wrong. Kaiba shook his head, and one very important point sprung up. {Since when have I believed in destiny?!}  
  
Since I was first shown the tablet, the "Nameless Pharaoh"  
  
{Yes..... No! Even then I believed that there was no such thing as destiny! These thoughts are not my own!}  
  
Aren't they? Am I not you? Or, shall I say, are you not me?  
  
'Who are you?!' Kaiba spoke out aloud. He looked around for the source of the voice.  
  
I am, essentially, you. We are the same. The only thing that makes us different is that I was around over 3000 years ago. Our reunion has been destined since I became trapped within this golden tomb. Now my... Our... Destiny can become complete. We can finally complete the task that was set before us.  
  
'Shutup! I weave my own destiny! I control what happens in my life!' He yelled, clutching his head, willing the voice to disappear.  
  
Yes, you do. But so do I, and the destiny I chose is the one that was laid out before me. The one that, in time, you will also choose.  
  
'Whoever you are, you will not influence me! I am Seto Kaiba! No-one controls me! I am my own master!'  
  
Pity that I am you, and therefore, I am your master.  
  
'Do not twist my words! Go back to wherever you came from and never bother me again!'  
  
INSOLENCE!  
  
With this exclamation, the Millennium Rod sent out a "wave" of magic, the same magic that for the past day-and-a-half had been draining the energy of the residents of Domino city and turned it into power for the Rod. The wave stopped, then dragged as much energy as it could grasp with it. Kaiba, until recently unable to sense shadow magic, felt the wave explode past him, then come back into the Rod.  
  
'I hoped that I could slowly take the energy I needed, but you have given me no choice but to take what I need now, so I may educate you in the ways of your hereditary line.'  
  
Kaiba turned around, and faced himself. There were differences, this other version had a darker tan, slightly longer hair and was slightly taller.  
  
'What the...?!' Kaiba exclaimed.  
  
'I have waited for this moment, and I am not going to have it ruined by your own stubbornness!' The other Kaiba snarled. 'You shall learn respect for what I have to teach you, even if I must do it the hard way!'  
  
Kaiba felt darkness overwhelm him, as if the very shadows themselves had grabbed him. He felt dizzy for a moment, then it was as if he was falling. It stopped suddenly, all he saw was blackness that somehow seemed to swirl. Kaiba shuddered, as he was reminded of the time when Pegasus trapped his soul; using his body as a puppet, a servant.  
  
'Release me!' He yelled into the inky blackness.  
  
//Later. I must reacquaint myself with the world of the living. You should get used to your Soul Room, you will be spending much time here.// Kaiba felt the presence disappear. He yelled into the blackness, demanding to be released. No answer came from the swirling black space. Eventually, he slumped down onto the "ground" and tried to understand his predicament.  
  
~~~  
  
Ryou sighed and sat down on his recliner. His Yami had used his body for most of the day, and he was feeling the consequence of it. His muscles ached from constant use, thanks to his Yami's futile search for the mysterious magic leak. Although, his exhaustion did make the recliner feel so much better. He opened the can of Coke he had in his hand and took a deep mouthful. At this point, the magic wave that the Millennium Rod had released reached him. He gasped in surprise, the coke falling from his hands and spilling on the ground, then he felt his Yami take over almost instantly.  
  
Yami Bakura placed up a protective barrier, but the wave simply drained the energy from it. He snarled and prepared for the drain of his energy. However, the consumption was much larger then he had originally anticipated. He almost fell from lack of energy.  
  
'Shadow Magic' He snarled. He tried to go to the shadow realm, where magic was easily detectable, but the Millennium Ring was too drained to transport him there. Time for plan two.  
  
'Ring!' He growled at the item. 'Point me in the direction of the most active Millennium Item!' He watched the Millennium Ring's pointers resolutely, until he saw one weakly quiver in an easterly direction. Barely able to walk, Yami Bakura left the apartment and headed in the general direction that the Millennium Ring told him.  
  
~~~  
  
Yugi Motou sat on his bed, and half listened to his Yami.  
  
'The magic is fluctuating. Something is happening.' Yami said.  
  
'Yes, it's stopping.' Yugi sighed.  
  
'Not necessarily, the person controlling it could be experiencing problems, or as the case may be, experiencing resistance.'  
  
'Your determined to blame Yami Bakura for this.'  
  
'Who else? Malik has gone back to Egypt for a time, and I know no other Millennium Item owners that would cause trouble for us.'  
  
'Perhaps Pegasus has managed to get hold of the Millennium Eye again, or maybe it's not related to the Millennium Items, a freak occurrence.'  
  
'Both are unlikely.' Yami glared at his other. 'Why are determined to argue with me?'  
  
'It just.... Doesn't seem like the work of Yami Bakura. He's usually more direct in his efforts to get the Millennium Items.'  
  
'That's true.... But, as I said before, who else could it be?'  
  
'Yugi! Dinner's ready!' His Grandfather's voice came floating from down the hall.  
  
'Coming!' Yugi replied. He turned to look at his Yami. 'We'll have to continue this later...' Yami nodded and returned to the Millennium Puzzle. With a sigh, he got off his bed and began to walk down the stairs towards the kitchen. The wave of magic hit Yugi at about this point.  
  
//YUGI!!!// Yami called out, placing a barrier around them. However, like Yami Bakura, he discovered that the energy that was placed in the barrier was just being drained. Yet he still pumped his energy into it. Eventually, the wave retreated, taking away most of Yami's energy with it.  
  
//Are... You... OK?// Yami asked Yugi weakly.  
  
/I'm fine, but, what was that?/ Yugi, unscathed by the wave, asked back.  
  
//I believe..... That was our mysterious..... Magical leak.//  
  
/But I thought you said that it was small, almost undetectable!/  
  
//I.... Also said that..... Not all spells have to be powerful.... to be devastating//  
  
/If that wasn't powerful, then what is?!/  
  
//As many spells do..... It started out small. It then grew to immense-// Yami stopped suddenly.  
  
/Yami? What's wrong?/ Yugi asked worriedly.  
  
//Your Grandfather!//  
  
/What? What about Grand...../ Yugi began, but then realization hit him.  
  
'Grandpa!' He yelled as he rushed down the stairs, into the kitchen. It was there that he saw his grandfather slumped over a chair, breathing heavily.  
  
'Grandpa! Are you all right?!' Yugi rushed to his grandfather's side.  
  
'I'm fine.' His Grandfather answered, a weak smile on his face. 'Just old bones failing on me.'  
  
'That's not true...' Yugi managed to smile nervously. 'I, too felt a wave of..... Dizziness just then.' He wanted to say that it was magic, but he knew that it was unlikely that he would be believed. He helped his Grandfather to a chair  
  
'It could have something to do with that virus that's going around' Yugi said, knowing very well that the "virus" was the best substitute for a true explanation.  
  
'Well, you do have a point there....' His Grandfather sighed. 'Yugi, could you boil some water for Ramen? I sort of...... Dropped our dinner.....' He looked sheepishly at his grandson and indicated to the large mess now in the middle of the kitchen floor. Yugi smiled lightly and placed some water on the stove. Then, with a small sigh, he grabbed a mop and began to clean up the mess.  
  
/I'm willing to admit you were right Yami/ Yugi confessed within the secrecy of his mind. /This is bigger than I thought./  
  
//You haven't begun to comprehend how bad this is.// Yami said, his energy beginning to return. //This is big. I have not sensed Shadow Magic this powerful since Ancient Egypt. I am certain that a Millennium Item is involved, but I am less sure that it is the Ring. Whoever, or whatever, has done this can easily be assumed to be our greatest threat.//  
  
~~~  
  
The rhythmic intake of breath, the slow beating of a heart, the pulsing of blood through a network of veins. He was alive. He took a deep breath, and exhaled it out as a content sigh. He stretched muscles, felt them ache comfortably. Pain, another symptom of life.  
  
'After an eternity of waiting...' He said, in barely a whisper. 'I can.... Live again..'  
  
'Are you OK brother? I heard voices.' A voice came from behind him. He turned around, and faced the child sibling of his host body.  
  
'I'm fine' He said with a slight smile on his face. 'I just had the.. Television, on for a while. There was nothing interesting on so I turned it off.' With that he walked towards the front door, grabbing a jacket as he passed.  
  
'Where are you going?' The child asked with insatiable curiosity, and a little worry.  
  
'Out. I need to get some fresh air. Mokuba, look after the house while I'm gone.' And with that, High Priest Seto, until recently trapped within the Millennium Rod, walked out of the door to enjoy what most take for granted.  
  
~~~  
  
R&R Please 


	5. Decision

Memories of the Shadows  
  
A Yu-gi-oh fanfic  
  
Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic.  
  
/Hikari to Yami/  
  
//Yami to Hikari//  
  
{Thoughts}  
  
~  
  
OK, extra notes.  
  
Kaiba = Regular Kaiba  
  
Seto = High Priest Seto  
  
~~~  
  
Chapter 4- Decision  
  
Sleep slowly surrendered over to consciousness, leaving Seto Kaiba with a weary, drunken-like feeling. He rose up from his bed slowly and placed his head in his hands.  
  
'A dream..... It was just a dream....' He murmured, his voice filled with relief.  
  
'A dream? Or a nightmare?'  
  
Kaiba turned around swiftly, shock in his eyes, and once again saw the alternate version of himself. This time, it sat on he corner of the small desk he had in his room for late-night paperwork.  
  
'Why do you torment me!' Kaiba yelled at his tanned look-alike.  
  
'Hush! The boy, Mokuba, might hear us. We wouldn't want him thinking that you had multiple personalities now, would we?' The other smirked. Kaiba growled under his breath.  
  
'What do you want?' He asked in a bitter, angry tone of voice.  
  
'Simply to live an existence outside of the Millennium Rod, and to teach my reincarnation a few simple tricks of my trade.' The smirk became wider.  
  
'Why should I trust you?! The first time you appeared, you sent me into that world of dankness!' Kaiba was infuriated. The other looked confused for a moment, then smiled.  
  
'I'm sorry, but spending countless millennia trapped in a confined space does tend make you.... Agitated. And the place is only black if you wish it to be. Think what you like to spend eternity in and it'll appear before you........ Oh!' He looked shocked for a moment. 'How rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself. I am one of the former High Priests of Pharaoh Atem; Seto. A name we have in common.' He bowed exquisitely. Kaiba looked in disbelief for a while, before breaking into laughter.  
  
'What the hell did I take last night?! First the voices in my head, then the place of darkness, and now I'm talking to myself!' He stood up, still laughing, and placed his hand on Seto's shoulder. To his surprise, the hand settled rather firmly on the shoulder instead of passing through it.  
  
'It would seem that you disbelieve me.' Seto said slowly, the smile faded from his face.  
  
'Things will change, in time.'  
  
'I doubt that taking advice from a hallucination is wise for my career.' Kaiba walked past and grabbed his business "suit".  
  
'..... Ever notice, that often when Yugi duels, his appearance changes?' Seto asked, finally getting off the desk. Kaiba paused, his blue trench coat in his hand.  
  
'.......'  
  
'Or, have you seen the normally subtle Ryou Bakura have a sudden mood-swing and become something akin to a psychopath.' Seto walked slowly toward Kaiba. 'It's because they have their past life trapped within their Millennium Items, and the past lives have waited 3000 years to once again roam among the living. I am one such being. You are my reincarnation, and we are destined together.'  
  
'A nice story, but I stopped believing in fairy-tales a long time ago.'  
  
'You think this is a game?!' Seto snarled. 'What I speak of is no lie, and I am not about to give up my future because of your stubbornness!'  
  
'And what place will I have in this future of yours?!'  
  
'I will tutor you in the ways of the arcane, and from there we will have to see...'  
  
'Magic.' Kaiba spat. 'Magic is just a few simple tricks spun about to deceive those too dim to figure out how it's done!'  
  
'Do not underestimate the power of the magic that I control! You will learn what I have to teach you, willingly or otherwise!' Seto glared icily at his other, before fading from view.  
  
//You have until sunset to decide whether you want to cooperate, or whether I have to force you into this decision.// Seto spoke over the mental link that he had established the night before, then he retreated into the depths of the Millennium Rod.  
  
'What could a delusion do to me that hasn't already been done?!' Kaiba said under his breath. A small feeling told him that this "Seto" was more dangerous than he anticipated, but as usual, he ignored it. What could someone that was dead for over 3000 years do to him anyway?  
  
~~~  
  
Rain slowly drizzled down in the street, giving the atmosphere a depressed sort of feel. It matched Yugi's mood completely. Within a few days, this mysterious enemy had caused more damage then Malik did during Battle City. Worry tormented him, as well as the fact that Yami still hadn't recovered from the magic last night. He sighed and placed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, walking further into the almost empty streets of Domino.  
  
'Any luck?' Came a voice from behind him. Yugi jumped and quickly turned around, to face Yami Bakura. He, too, seemed to have had the energy drained from him, as he had to lean on a wall to keep his balance. Yet Yugi felt no comfort in this fact. Yami Bakura was still as dangerous as ever.  
  
'If you are talking about the source of the magic, then no. Neither Yami or I can find anything.' Yugi shook his head. Yami Bakura scowled.  
  
'I had at least thought the Pharaoh would have found something out....' He glares into the soft mist that surrounded the city, as if the person responsible would appear before him. The rain was all that moved.  
  
'Do you have any suspicions?' Yugi asked cautiously.  
  
'If I did, then I would be investigating it, not speaking with pitiful mortals such as yourself.' Yami Bakura snapped. Yugi winced and moved back from the volatile spirit of the Ring. Yami Bakura sighed suddenly.  
  
'There is nothing more I can do until the energy returns to the Ring.' He looked down at Yugi. 'As much as I hate to admit it, we're on the same side. We want this newcomer exterminated. I propose a temporary truce with both you and the Pharaoh.'  
  
'A truce?!' Yugi exclaimed. This was unlike Yami Bakura, who was solitary by nature. 'Why?'  
  
'I know for a fact that whoever has done this is quite skilled in the use of magic, and alone we would not be able to stand up to it.' Yami Bakura managed a glare. 'I would rather have to temporarily work with you and get this over and done with then to risk the chance of permanently dying before my work is completed.'  
  
Yugi looked at the former Thief King thoughtfully. Could he be trusted, considering the things he had done in the past? He considered going to Yami for advice, but he knew that his other's answer would be no. And Yami Bakura did seem to be serious about this.  
  
'I can see no other real option here...' Yugi sighed, before looking up at Yami Bakura. 'Fine, I'll agree to this truce, I cannot promise anything about my partner though...'  
  
'The Pharaoh will eventually see the wisdom of the move you have just made. And remember, I did this because it's necessary, not because I want to.' Yami Bakura glared warningly at Yugi, then he limped away, cloaking himself in shadows once again. Yugi paused, then sighed heavily. Once again, this problem had expanded, becoming bigger then he had previously thought.   
  
The rain continued to fall  
  
~~~  
  
Although the sky was covered by heavy clouds, the sunset was fairly odvious. The sky turned from a dark grey to orange, then it finally settled on a blood red colour. Kaiba looked out the window of his office and waited for this High Priest Seto to ask for his decision. So far, he had not heard a word from this alternate version of himself.  
  
'Mr. Kaiba, would you like a cup of coffee?' His secretary asked him, poking her head around the door.  
  
'No thank you.' Kaiba dismissed, returning to the ever-present paperwork. The secretary shrugged and left the room. A few more minuites of silence and Kaiba found himself stopping again. He sighed and warily placed his head in his hands.  
  
'Perhaps you should do something to take your mind off that, a little lesson in magic perhaps?'  
  
Kaiba turned suddenly, once again facing the true spirit of the Millennium Rod.  
  
'The sun is shining it's last rays of light onto the world. It's time for you to decide.'  
  
'What is there to be decided? I have no use of magic, and I never will. I suggest you find a place to stay for another few millennia because I have no need of you.' Kaiba faced his other, hiving him a glare as cold as ice. Seto only sighed.  
  
'I was hoping that I would not have to do this..... But you leave me with no choice.'   
  
'And what could you-' Kaiba was cut off as he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his left hand. He turned to look, and saw the hiddern blade of the Rod sticking out of his hand, pinning it to the wall. He looked at it in a mixture of curiosity and terror, then he saw the world around him fade into darkness. The same swirling darkness that he had experienced during his entrapment by Pegasus and during many of Malik's duels in Battle City.  
  
'You seem to think that you have the choice of learning magic. I assure you, you don't. However, you must be willing to learn for me to teach it to you, hence the endless torture you are about to recieve.' Seto grinned. 'If at any point you change your mind, let me know.'  
  
Kaiba tried to move away, but the blade of the Rod still pinned him to the spot. His other cracked his knuckles, then advanced.  
  
The first phase of the torture was simple, bruises and small cuts made by unseen things. It then progressed to Seto twisting limbs to the point before they broke. What made this worse was that when Kaiba's body instinctively moved, the sharp edge of the Millennium Rod sliced further into his hand. Next came deeper cuts, that stung as if vinegar had been rubbed into the wounds. Then came a sensation of being eaten by innumerable insects; small, stinging pain that covered Kaiba's body. The worst and final part was the feeling of his insides were being rearranged, or rather being torn from their natural place and then being placed somewhere else. Eventualy, Seto dissappeared, the darkness along with him. Finaly, the Millennium Rod dropped to the ground, covered in blood. Kaiba slumped to the ground, pain exploding in every corner of his body. Yet, there was only one visible wound, the large gash in his left hand. He took in deep, shudering breaths, willing the pain to leave. After a few minuites of lying on the floor, he shakily got up. He had managed to keep his resolve this time, but how long could he keep it up before the darkness overwhelmed him?  
  
~~~  
  
R&R Please.... And thanks for the support so far! 


	6. Broken

This is just getting rediculous! This is the third time I've changed thie formating of this chapter! Some of the character I usualy use aren't being accepted, even in QuickEdit. But at least the italic writing is working this time, and the scenes are seperate. I'm really sorry for this... 

****

****

**-**

**Memories of the Shadows**

A Yu-gi-oh fanfic 

Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic. 

/Hikari to Yami/ 

#Yami to Hikari# (Changed because of the problems I am having...) 

{Thoughts} 

**Chapter 5- Broken**

Note- This chapter was greatly inspired by the song "Monsters" by Something For Kate. 

- 

The rain from the previous day had not led down, giving the room a melancholy feel. Students stared out the window into the slow drizzle of water, looks of boredom imprinted on their faces. The hadn't even started yet. 

/Is this an effect of that magic wave?/ Yugi asked his other from the depths of his mind 

#It doesn't seem to be..... I can sense no magic being produced.# Yami responded. 

/It just doesn't seem normal. Usually the is bustling with activity..../ 

#I know how you feel, but perhaps it is just an after effect of the weather. But then again, considering what else has happened recently, I would not be surprised if it was something unusual.# 

/...../ Yugi sighed and looked to the front of the . The door of the room opened slowly. Yugi swung his head towards the door, expecting the teacher to enter. Instead, it was Kaiba who walked wearily into the room. This was unusual, Kaiba was never late to . There was something different about the businessman, but Yugi could not pinpoint it. He shrugged it off, dismissing it as irrelevant. The door once again opened, this time it was the teacher. 

'No time for sleeping, we have heaps to catch up on!' He announced. The groaned and opened their textbooks. 

- 

Kaiba tried to focus on the equations on the board, but his mind could not focus on maths. Pain still throbbed through his entire body, and his mind automatically focused on that instead of the lesson. He shook his head and once again looked at the board. The symbols and numbers seemed to jumble into an intelligible mass. 

_-'Get it right!' Gozaburo snarled, slamming the sharp edge of the metal ruler into Kaiba's back. Kaiba had to bite his lip to stop himself from yelling out. He tasted blood._

_'How many times must we do this before you realise what you are doing wrong?!'_

_'I-I'm sorry!' Kaiba stuttered._

_'Don't speak like that!' Gozaburo hit him with the ruler once again. 'You must speak with a sure tone of voice, otherwise you will never succeed in business!'_

_'Yes sir..' Kaiba averted his gaze. He placed his pen on the paper once again, trying to figure out what it was that he had to do.-_

__Kaiba's head jerked up suddenly, the memory vividly coming back to him. He could feel the welts caused by the steel ruler as if they had been inflicted just then. 

#You didn't think that I would limit myself to physical torture, did you? Your memories are too detrimental for me not to use.# Seto said over the mental link. 

'Seeing the past again is nothing new,' Kaiba whispered. 'Noa tried the same tactic.' 

#There's a difference between watching the past and reliving it. Plus, Noa couldn't unlock your repressed memories, I can.# 

'Go to hell.' 

#If I do, I'll drag you with me.# 

'Seto Kaiba, would you answer the question?' The teacher asked. Kaiba jerked up and viewed the math question; a simple trigonometry equation. He gave the precise formula to be used and, using his calculator, gave the answer. The teacher nodded, a sign of a correct answer, then wrote something else on the board. 

_- 'You didn't have to stand up to him....' Mokuba said, placing a Band-Aid on his brother's arm._

_'If I didn't, he would have thought of us as weak, and easy to pick on.' He replied, wiping blood from his split lip onto his shirt. He sat, his back leaning against a wall. He was covered in numerous bruises and cuts, and he had a black eye. 'We would have faced a lot more that this.'_

_'But you're really hurt! And the adults won't do a thing about it!'_

_'They're too busy with the other guy. He'll make up a false story about how we started the fight, and we'll get into even more trouble.'_

_'..... No more Band-Aids...' Mokuba held up the empty packet. 'Why do we have to be here? I liked it better before.'_

_'We didn't have a choice, Mokey....' He looked down at the ground, not wanting to recall the reason why they were here. He heard footsteps approaching. The caretakers of the orphanage came over to him, grabbed him by the ear and escorted him to the medical room. It hurt, but he gritted his teeth and bared it. He had little other choice.-_

__'No choices....' He murmured under his breath. He shook his head suddenly and willed the memory to leave, but it clung to him, plaguing his thoughts. 

#This is great, I haven't even gotten to the repressed memories yet.# 

'I shall not relent..' Kaiba spoke softly, however he was not of sure of this as he was a few minutes ago. 

- 

Ryou Bakura watched. What he saw frightened him a little, but he could empathise. He saw pain, sorrow and impending collapse. Emotions he had felt often himself. 

'Bakura, what are you looking at?' Jounouchi asked, his mouth half-full of hot-dog. 

'.... Nothing' He sighed and turned around to face the group. 

'Hey, has anyone else noticed something strange going around?' Yugi asked. 

'Yeah, we should really teach Jou here to stop wandering around the corridors!' Honda joked. Jounouchi punched him in the arm. The others laughed. 

'That's not what I meant.' Yugi sighed. 'It sort of...... Like something's trying to block something out....' 

'Like what?' Anzu asked. 'Everything seems to be normal to me.' 

'How about Seto Kaiba?' Ryou spoke up. 

'What about that stuck-up little windbag?' Jou spat. 

'Look closely. He looks.....' Ryou tried to find the right word. '.... Tormented, I guess.' 

The others looked, but only Yugi also seemed to find anything different. 

'You're full of shit, Bakura. He's still the same old, pompous, narcissistic ass he's always been.' Jou glared. 

#Bakura has a point.# Yami spoke from his soul room. #There is something strange about him.# 

/I know that, but the others don't seem to notice. Could it be Magic?/ 

#But why would magic be hiding Kaiba's true well-being from us? I think that there might be something more to this.# 

/So do I.../ Yugi disconnected the link and listened to the mundane conversation the others were having. 

Ryou listened for a while, then became bored and once again swung his gaze to Seto Kaiba, who leant heavily against the cafeteria table he was sitting at, a haunted expression on his face. Ryou watched, and knew exactly how Kaiba felt. 

- 

Kaiba walked into his house and threw the schoolbag in the corner. His head throbbed, his body ached and the bandaging on his hand needed changing. He unwrapped the bloodied bandaging and looked at the gash. It was still bleeding, though to a lesser extent. He could see the bones, and almost out the other side. Kaiba shuddered and picked up the fresh bandages. 

#I offer you one last chance before I do this. Learn magic from me.# Seto contacted him. 

'I have survived this torture so far. Why quit now?' Kaiba spoke as he wrapped his hand up. 

Because I shall not quit, and you shall be forever scared if I unleash these demons once again. 

'Try your worst.' Kaiba narrowed his eyes. 

#..... I am truly sorry.# 

_- 'Mother?' He watched, looking at the silent, still figure lying on the hospital bed._

_'Mother, wake up. Mokey wants to talk to you too...' He walked up the motionless figure and tugged on the sleeve. In the depths of his mind, he knew she wouldn't answer. In the depths of his mind, he knew she was dead. But that little bit of knowledge was blocked out by pure emotion. He waited patiently for a response that would not come._

_'Please.... Don't go.' His eyes welled up with tears, his voice wavered. 'Who will take care of us?_

_'Seto, It's time for Mokuba..... Oh.' The doctor walked in, and checked her pulse. After a few minutes of silence, he shook his head. 'A shame.... She was so close to recovery.'_

_'You'll make her better, right?' He asked. He knew it was an impossible request, but he did not want to give up._

_'Seto...' The doctor knelt. 'She's gone to a better place. And we don't want to take her from that place, do we?'_

_'She's not in a better place!' He yelled, tears now freely flowing from his eyes. 'She said we were the things she loved the most! How can Mother be in a better place if we aren't there?!' His shoulders sagged, and he sobbed lightly._

_'Seto....' The doctor began. 'We can't bring her back. If we did, then it would be a miracle.'_

_'Then make a miracle!' He knew it was foolish, but he pressed on._

_'Seto?' A voice came from behind him. He turned around and looked at his brother. 'Why is mommy so still?_

_'She's just tired.' He said, trying to block the truth. Mokuba walked up the motionless body of his mother and placed his hand on her face._

_'Mommy?' Mokuba asked. 'Are you sleeping?'_

_'Please children, try to understand. She is no longer with us....'_

_'Doctor, it's time for... Oh.' The nurse poked her head around the door, a sad little expression on her face. 'She's dead...'_

_'SHE IS NOT DEAD!' He yelled at them. 'WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF US IF SHE'S DEAD?!'_

_Silence filled the room, then small sobs erupted both of the brothers._

_'Mommy...' Mokuba said, hugging the corpse._

_'I'll make arrangements for a relative to pick them up then...' The nurse said, slowly shutting the door. The doctor sighed and cleaned his glasses._

_'I'm sorry boys. I know how hard this must be on you. But please, understand that we did all we could for her.'The doctor, too, left the room. He walked over to his brother, and hugged him. _

_'It'll be OK Mokey.......' He said, although he himself doubted the truth of his words.-_

The bandages fell to the floor, bouncing a few times before stopping. Kaiba yelled, grabbed the Millennium Rod from his coat pocket, and threw it into the wall. However, it was too late. The chain reaction triggered, dozens of repressed memories flooded back into his consciousness, reliving themselves in vivid detail. Every painful moment in his life played through his mind: His Father's funeral, his mother's last days fighting against cancer, the endless bouncing from relative to relative to see them either move, die or simply become sick of them, and so many more memories painful enough to be repressed in his subconscious. All in the space of one second. His mind became overwhelmed with these memories and the emotions that came with them, and it shattered. A mental breakdown. 

Kaiba, his mind in pieces, his mental walls destroyed, his spirit crushed. He slowly fell to his knees, placed his head in his hands, and wept. 

- 

Awwww, don't you just want to go over there, hug him and tell him it's OK? 

Anyway, R&R please. 


	7. Sorrow

AURGH! I'm really getting annoyed at Quickedit and it's not recognising some of the characters that I use! - If anyone else is having these problems, let me know. As mentioned in the previous chapter, I'll be replacing some of my usual formating. Oh well...

-

**Memories of the Shadows**

A Yu-gi-oh fanfic 

Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic. 

/Hikari to Yami/ 

#Yami to Hikari# (Changed because of formating difficulties) 

{Thoughts} 

****

**---**

****

**Chapter 6- Sorrow**

****- 

Mokuba quietly opened the door to his house. He had a quick look around. His brother was nowhere in sight. He slowly walked in, his shoes on his hands. He was a few hours late from coming home from school, and punctuality was something Kaiba practiced most often. Mokuba tried to stay silent, hoping he could creep into his room and say he was in there, doing homework. He paused, and listened. Silence, something unusual in the Kaiba household. 

'Strange, I thought that Seto would have been home by now....' He said quietly, before he started climbing the stairs. About halfway up he heard a noise. He froze instinctively, hoping it wasn't his brother. After a few seconds of doing nothing, he decided that the noise wasn't Kaiba approaching. He let out a relieved sigh and continued up the stairs. He placed his bag and his other things in his room, then he decided to investigate what the source of the mysterious noise was. He decided after a while, that it wasn't coming from upstairs. He moved down, listening carefully. He turned into the living room. 

'TV isn't on....' He muttered. He moved onward, the strange noise becoming louder, twisting itself into something almost familiar.... Then, he saw something that would haunt him for the rest of his days. 

Huddled in the corner of a small, spare room sat Kaiba. He was curled in the fetal position, his eyes red and tormented, murmuring something intelligible. 

'Seto! What's wrong?!' Mokuba rushed over to his brother, not knowing what to exactly do. Kaiba just sat there, looking through Mokuba, speaking softly to himself. Mokuba bit his lip nervously. In truth, he was afraid. His brother was the only person he had ever been able to look up to, and to see him like this..... 

'Shadows creep upon me, tormenting with their memories....' Kaiba spoke, barely audible. Mokuba looked at him worriedly. 

_I warned him. You cannot say that I did not warn him._

__Mokuba looked around. He thought he had heard someone, but it must have been his imagination. He looked at his tormented brother, wondering what to do. Eventually, he moved out the room. He returned a few minutes later, and placed a blanket around Kaiba's shoulders and he forced a mug of warmed milk into his hands. He remembered briefly that this is what his brother used to do to him during his long depression during their stay at the orphanage. It was strange to see the tables turn so suddenly. 

'Warmth?' Kaiba asked, almost pitifully. His haunted eyes focused on Mokuba for a moment, then they stared back into nothingness again. After a few minutes of nothing, Kaiba took a slow sip from the lukewarm milk. Mokuba sighed, It wasn't much, but at least it was something. Kaiba shivered, muttered something and shrunk back a bit. 

'What can I do?' Mokuba asked to no-one in particular. 

_Take him to his room or some other warm spot. Keep him fed on mostly liquid substances, and after a week or two he will almost be his normal self._

__Mokuba jumped, and looked around. 

'Hello?' 

_Do not worry about who I am. I will reveal myself in time. Make sure Kaiba stays alive, I cannot do this task if my one ticket out of here is dead._

__'But.... What happened to him?' He tried to locate the voice, but it seemed to come from his own head. 

_Do not worry about the details! Just make sure Kaiba lives._

__Mokuba winced. Whoever this was, he had the same commanding tone as his brother. He wondered, briefly, how he was going to get his brother up. 

'C'mon Seto, you can't stay here all day...' Mokuba said, whilst trying to lift him up by the arm. After a while, Kaiba did sand up, but he spilt some of the milk. Mokuba steered him in the direction of Kaiba's room, where he opened the covers on the bed and tried to get Kaiba in. However, Kaiba just went over to a corner and huddled up again. Mokuba sighed in defeat. 

_He will be fine there._

__'Are you sure?' He asked the mysterious voice. No answer. Mokuba turned to face his brother again; he was shivering. Mokuba placed the blanket around his shoulders once again, then he left the room. More problems sprung up in Mokuba's mind. What was going to happen to Kaiba Corp with Kaiba sick? What caused his brother to become like this in the first place? What if they ran out of food? He had no money. And who was the voice that kept talking to him? 

_Kaiba Corp can manage itself for a few weeks, and there is some emergency money in the top draw of the Computer desk. As for who I am, and why your brother is ill..... Let's just say that I am a friend, and Kaiba is too stubborn for his own good._

__Mokuba was confused by this, but he did look in the top draw of the computer desk. He found an envelope with "Emergency only" written on it. He figured that this classified as an emergency and he opened the envelope to find just over $500 ((Or it's Yen equivalent.....)) in it. 

'Seto always did plan for the worst...' Said Mokuba, a sad smile on his face. He tried to look on the bright side of things, but he could not help but worry about what was going to happen. 

--- 

/I don't like this./ Yugi commented, his breath coming out is small clouds. 

#Neither do I, but we don't have much choice.# Yami spoke to him. Yugi groaned and placed his hands deeper into his pockets. First, this early snowfall, and now Yami was thinking that Kaiba was the source of the unusual magic. 

/But resorting to snooping?/ 

# I have felt strong magic for the past week, and Kaiba has been missing for the same amount of time. It may just be a coincidence, but I want to make sure.# 

/But this is Kaiba, Yami. He shuns anything to do with Magic or destiny./ 

#Yes, but he is the reincarnation of the Priest Seto, don't forget. And he did believe in Magic, and was damned good at it too.# 

Yugi admitted that Yami had a point, before finding himself at the Kaiba Mansion. He walked up and knocked on the door. After a moment of silence, the door gingerly cracked open and Mokuba peered out. 

'Hello?' The younger Kaiba brother asked. 

'Hi Mokuba,' Yugi replied. 'Is Kaiba around?' 

There was a pause, Mokuba's gaze flickered from place to place. 'Um.... Seto isn't feeling well...' 

#He's hiding something.#Yami told his Aibou. 

'What's wrong with him?' Yugi pressed. 

'Y'know...... It's that cold that's been going around.' Mokuba lied. 

'Well, I've got his homework from class, mind if I come in?' 

'No!' Mokuba said suddenly. 'I...... Wouldn't want you to catch it too.' 

'Oh... OK then,' Yugi opened his schoolbag and grabbed the work that was assigned for the week, then handed it to Mokuba who thanked him and closed the door. 

#I'm not convinced. I want to see if Kaiba really is sick.# 

/Can't you just be satisfied with Mokuba's word?/ 

#Not when I know that something is going on.# 

/...... Fine then/ Yugi mentally sighed. /But you're taking over for this./ 

Yami agreed, then took control. He sneaked over to the side of the mansion. Then, using a creeper vine hanging on the wall, he climbed up to the window. With as much stealth as he could muster, he looked into the window. 

'Here you go Seto.' He saw Mokuba walk up to Kaiba, with what appeared to be soup in a cup. Kaiba was huddled in a corner, and the cup had to be forced into his hands. Even from this distance, Yami could see the haunted, almost blank expression on his face. For a while, Kaiba did nothing, then he slowly looked at the cup of soup in his hands. His eyes widened, then he yelped in a mixture of surprise and fear. Kaiba then threw the cup away from him, clutching his head, yelling for the shadows to stop. Mokuba just looked sad, then he went to clean p the shards of the broken cup. 

Yami was distressed at this. To see the mighty Seto Kaiba in such a fragile state... He slowly climbed down from the vine, and started walking home. 

#Well that rules Kaiba out of this. There is no way that he could cast magic in his state.# 

/That also explains why Mokuba was so secretive, he didn't want us to find out about.... This./ 

#Then it's back to the start. Once again, we have no clue who and where this mystery magic user is.# 

--- 

The Millennium Rod pulsed once again with magic. High Priest Seto waited as the Item located the remaining Millennium Items. The Puzzle was with Yugi, as he had already known, but the Pharaoh reincarnate also had the Tauk. Bakura had both the Ring and the Eye, and the Rod was here. However, he had no idea where the Scales or the Ankh was. He pressed the search, expanding it beyond the borders of Domino. Still nothing. But in the end, the Millennium Items were not important to what he had planned. What was important was his other's cooperation in this matter. He could wait a few weeks for Kaiba to recover, time was not important. He had waited over 5 millennia for his revenge, he could wait a week or two. 

--- 

_'Aww, isn't he cute?'_

__**'I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!'**

'51 is the magic number.' 

'I have taken the most precious thing from you Seto,'

**'We'll get out of here someday...'**

**'You cannot deny your past.'**

****'Am I not you? Or rather, are you not me?' 

_'Your studies are more important then measly games!'_

__'We must stop the appearance of a second Bakura.'

**'Seto, what's wrong?'**

****_'I shall not lose!'_

'Girl with the white dragon....' 

**'Happy birthday Kiddo!'**

****'You have slept long enough, time for you to awaken!

--- 

Bet that freaked you out. Once again, sorry about the change in my usual formating 

R&R Please.


	8. Recovery

Just to let you guys know, I've got exams coming up soon. So, don't expect my updates to be as regular as they are now. Sorry about this, and wish me luck in the exams too! 

****

**Memories of the Shadows**

A Yu-gi-oh fanfic 

Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic. 

/Hikari to Yami/ 

#Yami to Hikari# 

{Thoughts} 

****

****

**---**

****

**Chapter 7- Recovery **

- 

The world spun. Kaiba blinked rapidly and tried to make sense of his surroundings. Darkness, and a musty smell. He lifted his head, saw that he was in his room. He tried to remember, and he **remembered**. Everything of his past he could recall as if it was yesterday. He trembled suddenly, wanting to forget. He tried to repress them, but more flooded into his mind. Eventualy, he gave up. He tried to stand up, but his muscles cramped. It was then that Kaiba became aware of his physical state. His body was wasted, his hair was matted and longer then usual, his vision was blured and he smelt like cold sweat. Kaiba forced himself to stand, then he headed towards the shower. A few minutes later, he walked out, dressed simply in jeans and a loose black shirt. He felt ill, traumatized and less alert then he usualy was. 

#Glad to see you in the land of the living. How was your break?# 

Part of Kaiba screamed in terror, instinct told him to flee, hide, tremble. But Kaiba pushed fear away, and confronted his past life. 

'Hello.' He said simply. 'Next time you send me down memory lane, place some tourism signs around. It can get confusing.' He heard laughter. 

#Amusing! Very amusing.# Seto commented. #I would have thought that you would still be afraid of me, but it seems that you have total control of your emotions again.# Seto materialized in front of Kaiba, a smug little grin on his face. Kaiba's instinct screamed at him, and he could not help but cringe a little at the appearance of his other. 

'Perhaps, not complete control..... But not bad, considering your Mental Breakdown.' Seto commented. 

'Mental Breakdown?' Kaiba questioned. He knew that he had relived his past in hideous detail, but he had thought it only to be a brief few moments. 'How long was I out?' 

'Not long, really. 11 days.' 

'11 days?!' Kaiba began to panic. What had happened to Kaiba Corp? More importantly, what happened to Mokuba? 

'No need to panic. Your brother is safe and Kaiba Corp is doing well. And they will remain that way, unless you refuse my offer again.' Seto's gaze turned cold. 

'Offer?' Kaiba tried to remember, but memories of his past were the only things thast came to him. 

'Learn magic from me, help me with my revenge and I ensure that Kaiba Corp will remain prosperous and Mokuba will be unharmed.' 

'How dare you drag them into this!' Kaiba snarled in outrage. He could handle being tormented, but to have Mokuba face the haunting memories.... 

'I told you, they will only be harmed if you do not agree to learn.' Seto knew he had won. Kaiba's only living relative was his only weakness. 

'.... Fine.' Kaiba glared hatefully as his other. 'I'll agree to learn from you. Only if you promise to keep Mokuba out of this.' 

'Excelent.' Seto's grin widened. 'You shall not regret this course of action. And don't give me that look, I think you will find magic rather enjoyable.' 

--- 

'Well, where now?' Yugi looked at the others. Ryou sat on his lounge chair, Yami paced the length of the room and Yami Bakura leaned against a wall, his eyes closed. 

'I was so sure it was Kaiba,' Ryou said, massaging his forehead, trying to think of where else they could look. 

'It isn't him. It may be connected with Kaiba, but it isn't him.' Yami said, still pacing. 'What I do know is that the Millennium Rod is involved somehow.' 

'Why do you think that?' Yami Bakura asked, opening an eye to look at Yami. 

'Think for a minuite, each of the items has a different way of recharging.' Yami responded. 

'Huh?' Yugi turned to look at his darker side. 'Recharging?' 

'The Items can only do so much before needing to recharge, and each Item has it's own way of doing so. The Puzzle, for example, draws energy from the sun.' 

'Whilst the Ring takes what it needs from it's owner.' Yami Bakura added. 

'That explains a lot.' Ryou said under his breath. 

'If I recall correctly, the Rod draws energy from others.' Yami Bakura contitnued 

'The draining that happened a few weeks ago!' Yugi exclamed. Yami nodded. 

'After Battle city, the Rod would have been severely drained. Hence the huge amount that was taken.' 

'But who would have the Rod?' Ryou looked up. 'The only people I can think of that would have it are Malik and Kaiba. But Malik is in Egypt for the time-being, and Kaiba is not exactly in the right state of mind for magic.' 

'We'll have to wait for Malik to come back.' Yami Bakura said simply. 'Then we can see if it was Yami Malik again, or if it's someone new.' 

'But we should continue looking around in the meantime.' Yugi stood up. 'We may find something yet.' 

'Doubtful.' Yami Bakura snorted, closing his eyes once again. 

'There is always a chance, Tomb Robber.' Yami glared. 

'But a pathetic chance it is. I doubt that someone able to avoid us for this long is suddenly going to pop up and say "Hello", offering us a plate of muffins.' He walked over to the Pharaoh. 'When he does appear, he'll be wanting our lives. And, considering what we have seen, that probably won't be too difficult a task.' 

--- 

It wasn't the magic that disturbed Kaiba. It was the fact that he was **enjoying** it. Claiming the excuse of still being unwell, he was able to scrape another week away from school and work. Seto taught him the basics of the Arcane, both practically and theoretically. He progressed at a rapid level, the spells coming naturally to him. They were simple things, making a small object invisible, clicking your fingers and creating a small flame. He mastered them within a day or two. 

Seto himself was amazed at the progression of his other. It had taken him over a month to get even the basics of magic, but Kaiba had done so in less then a week. But then again, he was Seto's reincarnation. Some of his traits had probaly transfered over. So the High Priest decided to progress to the next level. 

It was Friday. Mokuba had just left for school and Kaiba was finishing his coffee. 

#Something different today, Kaiba. Go to the kendo room.# 

/About time. These Cantrips are becoming boring/ Kaiba spoke over the mental link; another trick he had learned. He finished his coffee, placed the cup in the sink then moved out to his kendo room. It had been ages since he had practiced here, he would have to remedy that someday. Seto appeared in the middle of the room, his arms folded over his chest. Part of Kaiba still felt afraid, and generally he disliked his other. But the threat of Mokuba becoming involved in this still hovered over his head, not to mention that he was enjoying this too much to quit now. 

'You mentioned something new?' Kaiba said emotionlessly. 

'Tell me what you know about magic.' Seto commanded. 

'As dark is opposite to light, magic is opposite to technology. It is a force that is controled by the mind, and is erratic in it's natural state. Most people cannot detect magic and they genneraly are not effected by it's presence.' 

'And, what types of magic are there?' Seto started walikng around the room. 

'Um...' Kaiba was unsure of this. 'Possibly two?' 

'Wrong. There are 4 types of true magic. You know of Cantrips, what you have been learning up until this point. The others are Shadow Magic: which uses the fabric of the Shadow Realm. Verbal: which uses words to shape the spell. And Soul, which uses your very essence and is both powerful and unpredictable.' 

'And I will be learning which?' 

'All.' Seto grinned. 'And considering your rapid advancement, that shouldn't take more then a month.' 

'Question, why do you need me anyway? I would have thought that I would be better off being blissfully ignorant of your plans.' Kaiba followed his other's movement with his eyes. 

'I need a replacement if anything goes wrong. My plans can go wrong in so many different ways, but with someone to go on with what I left off, then my chances of succeeding rise dramaticaly. But we drift off topic.' Seto stoped on the opposite side of the room. Kaiba brased himself. Then the room was engulfed by the shadows, into the blackness that whirled. 

'This, as you have guessed by now, is the Shadow Realm. As you can see...' Seto raised his hand, and a small, glowing black orb appeared in his hand. 'It is fairly easy to manipulate. The main focus of Shadow Magic is the usage of this place as a tool. Example, calling someone's shadow to grab them whilst you lay into them with some type of weapon.' 

'Or summoning the Realm to engulf an area....' Kaiba thought back to Battle City, and to Malik Ishtar's numerable duels. With curiosity, he focused and tried to drive the Shadow Realm away. It seemed to groan, then it let go of it's hold on reality. Seto couldn't help but smile at his other's natural ability to control Magic. 

'Another use of the Shadow Realm is to tavel. Time moves at a slower pace in the Shadow Realm then it does in the Real World. Magic is also amplified in the Realm, making spells bigger and easier to see.' 

'This theory work is interesting, but can we move on to the actual thing?' Kaiba said impatiently. 

'In time. I don't wan't you to be acidentaly eaten by the nightmares that prowl the Shadows.' 

'Creatures live in that void?!' Kaiba was surprised by this. 

'Where do you think the Monsters in the closet live? They are shy creatures, but with each passing day in the Shadow realm, they become more bold. Usualy they attack within a week.' Seto closed his eyes, remebering the instances when he himself faced the hellish beings. 

'Can they escape into this world?' 

'Only when someone summons one. A difficult task, and full of risks. When one is summoned, you have to maintain total control until you banish it. If you lose that control, you become it's first target.' Seto sighed and shook his head. 'But were not attempting that just yet. You shall start with the basics of Shadow magic, calling forth a part of the realm into this world.' 

The rest of the day went fairly quickly. Within the space of the day, Kaiba had perfected calling the Shadows into the world, and was begening to understand how one could control shadows to peform tasks. Seto monitered his usage constantly, making sure that he covered up the clues that Magic was performed here. But there is always a small trace of magic left after a spell, and a careful eye can find these traces. 

And a theif, who is used to looking for the small things, can see these traces with ease. 

--- 

R&R please 


	9. Manipulation

I'm really sorry it took so long to upload this chapter! My school is loading up the work, and I had a small writer's block. Oh well, I hope this chapter makes up for my delay.****

An extra note, this chapter re-posted, getting rid of a few typos and a really bad sentence structure at the end.

****

**Memories of the Shadows**

A Yu-gi-oh fanfic 

Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic. 

/Hikari to Yami/ 

#Yami to Hikari# 

{Thoughts} 

****

**---**

****

**Chapter 8- Manipulation**

- 

Malik Ishtar walked out of the airport, suitcase in hand, and swore. 

'Did an ice age pass while I was away?!' He exclaimed, huddling in his jumper. Isis appeared behind him and laughed. 

'It's getting colder Malik, you'll have to get used to the snow.' She grinned good-naturedly. 

'But it's not even winter!' He snapped back. 'I want nothing to do with this damnable snow!' 

'Stop pouting and let's get home.' 

'Home used to be a lot warmer.' He hmphed, crossing his arms with a sulky look on his face. Isis laughed at her brother's stubbornness. 

'Malik!' A voice came from behind them. Malik and Isis turned to see Yugi and the rest of the gang approach them. 

'Great.' Malik rolled his eyes. Isis elbowed him in the ribs. 

'About time you got back!" Yugi commented, finally reaching the two Egyptians. 'Things have been happening.' 

'Things?' Malik raised an eyebrow. 

'Yeah, what things?' Jounouchi added, still blinded to the problem that was at hand. Yugi stared at Jou for a minute, then he remembered that he, along with the others, was oblivious to the magic that was going on. 

'I'll explain later.' Yugi sighed, shaking his head. 

'So, how was your trip back to Egypt Malik?' Anzu asked. 

'Uneventful. We got there, we picked up our old crap, we came back and found this frozen tundra.' He glowered. 'I would rather hear about what's happening here.' 

'Well, they can explain these events while were walking.' Isis said, picking up her suit case and starting to walk in the direction of their house. The others followed. 

'Um, Malik. Do you still have the Millennium rod?' Yugi asked as they walked along. Malik looked at him in a shocked way for a while. 

'No, why?' 

'Shit.' Yugi said to himself. Seems like they were right about that. Whoever was doing this was using the rod. 

'Yugi swearing? The world must be coming to an end.' Malik faked a shocked face. 

'Magic is afoot here, and we don't know who is doing it. However, now we know that whoever this person is, they have the Rod.' A worried expression crossed Yugi's face, as did it cross Malik's. Out of all the others, he knew the most about the Rod. 

'I should have taken it back to Egypt and discarded it there.' He growled to himself, before looking up. 'Could it be the Priest Seto?' He asked. 

'No. Kaiba hasn't been.... Well. He's had a breakdown or something like that, and would be completely unable to use magic.' 

'But the Rod doesn't need a host to use it's powers.' Malik said, knowing well it's powers. 'And isn't it unusual for the great Seto Kaiba to suddenly break down for no particular reason?' 

Yugi looked shocked, his suspicions renewed. 

#Priest...# Yami snarled from his soul room. 

'Hey! Stop lagging behind you two!' Isis called, supported by the voices of the others. Malik and Yugi looked at each other, then stepped up the pace to catch up with the others. 

'By the way, where is Bakura?' Malik asked. 

'.... I have no idea.' Yugi said confusedly. 'He should have been here by now. Yami Bakura would not be able to resist mocking you.' 

'Perhaps he's preoccupied?' Malik questioned, but both he and Yugi doubted those words. 

--- 

Yami Bakura tried not to breathe. He could feel his opponents footsteps thump on the floorboards. He tried to immerse himself in the shadows without actually going into the Shadow Realm; that would mean certain death. 

'Come out and play Bandit King! Or have you mellowed over these few millenniums?' The voice sent chills down Yami Bakura's spine. The High Priest had lost none of his former glory, unlike the Pharaoh and himself. He knew he had to move from his hiding place, but when? He slowly slid his foot along, edging his way around the back of the cupboard. Each footstep was carefully weighted, each floorboard probed for steadiness. Sound could betray his location to Seto. 

'I tire of this game, show yourself. You shall not be hurt... That much.' The sadistic voice of the High Priest echoed. Yami Bakura could tell that he was in the room. He stopped and tried to make no sound at all. His breathing shallowed so that it almost stopped. He heard the echoes of footsteps throughout the room, then they subsided. He waited for a few minutes, before deciding that the Priest had left the room. He began to edge towards the window, his only escape. 

'Hello Thief King Bakura.' Came the voice of Seto. Yami Bakura's head jerked upwards and he stared into the cold, ice-blue eyes of the High Priest. Seto crouched on top of the Wardrobe, his arms resting on his knees. 'So nice of you to enter my new abode. You were uninvited, but nether the less...' He smiled cruelly. Yami Bakura glared back, he would not let this opponent get the better of him. 

'I'm surprised you decided to crawl out of that hole you came from.' He retaliated. 'Afraid of choosing a host that was normal?' 

High Priest Seto grinned, then tilted his body. The wardrobe rocked, then fell onto it's face, and Yami Bakura found himself in the open. Seto stood with a calm, calculating confidence on the back of the fallen wardrobe. 

'Once you remove the shadows, we see the frightened child you really are.' Seto walked slowly, purposefully towards Yami Bakura, twirling the Millennium Rod in his hand. 

'You would know all about frightened children wouldn't you? It was your kind that made the shadows in the first place!' Yami Bakura growled, waiting for the right moment. 

'Evil lied in that place, it was a necessary sacrifice.' Seto stood over Yami Bakura now, the calm smile still on his face. Yami Bakura suddenly spurred into action. He grabbed the hidden dagger from the side of his boot, then he gracefully and fluidly twisted himself from his crouching position, his blade aimed at the High Priest's throat. There was the sound of metal on metal. 

'You honestly thought that I wouldn't expect a dirty and underhanded trick form you?' The smile was still etched on Seto's face, the blade of his Millennium Rod halfway through the blade of Yami Bakura's dagger. 'You're predictable. What happened to the devil that was the King of Bandits, the being that the Pharaoh feared the most?' 

'He moved aside, letting the corrupted Priest take his place!' Yami Bakura flicked his wrist, and he felt the blade of his dagger snap. Without looking, he let go of the hilt and fled towards the door. He knew that he had no chance against the High Priest, and so he ran. He sound of his feet thumping along the floorboards echoed throughout the house. 

Seto snarled, and his hand slowly touched the small cut on the side of his cheek. Had he not possessed such quick reflexes, the tip of the dagger would have now been imbedded in his eye. 

/Could you please be careful with my body, it's the only one I have./ Kaiba contacted him from his soul room. 

'The Tomb Robber shall not get away with this.' Seto said in an outraged voice to both his Hikari and himself. He murmured a few words and the shadows engulfed him. 

Yami Bakura leapt the last few stairs, the front door clearly in his vision. He sprinted, trying to reach the door before the High Priest reached him. Then the shadows unwrapped themselves, revealing High Priest Seto standing before him. Yami Bakura noticed the small cut on his opponent's left cheek. It brought him small satisfaction, and the icy glare that was on Seto's face could kill. Skidding on the floor boards, Yami Bakura headed for the backdoor. He increased his speed, feeling his muscles strain. He was within a few feet of the door, he had escaped. Then, there was pain. 

'So close, only to fail.' Seto, the cold smirk once again on his face. Yami Bakura yelled in pain, falling to one knee, only to feel more pain. He looked at his right foot, and saw the Millennium Rod imbedded in it, pinning it to the floor. He tried to pull it out, but when he touched the smooth, golden surface of the Rod, his hand filled with an enormous amount of pain, as if it had been set on fire. 

'I suppose that my death is imminent.' Yami Bakura closed his eyes, and waited for the end. 

'Death? No.' A small, sadistic chuckle escaped from the High Priest. 'Aside from the fact that my other says that bloodstains are hard to clean, I have other uses for you.' The grin became a wide smile. Seto lifted the Millennium Rod, the eye symbol glowing brightly. 

And in that moment, Yami Bakura felt pure terror. 

--- 

'Arrrggghhh!' 

'Miss me?' Yami Bakura grinned as he noogied Malik's head. The others sighed deeply at this spectacle. 

'He was bound to appear sometime.' Jounouchi placed his hand over his face. 

'So, where were you?' Yugi asked curiously. 

'I had other matters to attend to, searching for the mysterious magic user and the like.' Yami Bakura relinquished his hold on Malik. Then, with a bow, he went back into the Millennium Ring. Ryou appeared shortly after, a confused look on his face. He then saw an outraged Malik. 

'Oh dear.' He backed away. Malik stalked slowly towards him, and Honda was forced to stand in-between them to stop Malik. The others could not help but laugh. 

And from the fine, unnoticeable link that he had established, High Priest Seto watched, chuckled and observed. He would choose the right to strike, the moment when his targets are least expecting it. 

--- 

R&R Please


	10. Commencement

**Memories of the Shadows**

A Yu-gi-oh fanfic 

Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic. 

/Hikari to Yami/ 

#Yami to Hikari# 

{Thoughts} 

****

**---**

****

**Chapter 9- Commencement**

- 

The snow fell gracefully from the sky, spiralling down until it rested softly on the ground, or on the tree, or on any object that was underneath its slow decent. So simple and short was the life of the snowflake, without care or worry. Kaiba found himself musing about these simple little mundane things, watching as the small little crystals fell from the sky, twinkling in the inky blackness of the night. He was tired, mainly due to his workload being doubled because of his taking two weeks off. He sighed deeply and wished that his life was as simple as the view in-front of him. 

#Sometimes... It is better for you not to pine after what you cannot have.# The voice of the High Priest echoed through Kaiba's head. He almost sounded sorrowful. #Then when it is taken away, it won't hurt as much.# 

/You make no sense./ 

#... No, I suppose not.# There was a mental sigh. #Are you ready?# 

/When am I ever ready for your plots? This one is even more wild then the last./ 

#The tomb-robber was not meant to appear so early. I wanted to complete your training first. However, what is done is done, all we have to do is start earlier then I had planned.# 

/If a thousand years passed, it would still be too early./ Kaiba stretched his arms, closing his eyes and sighing. /But I have no real choice now, do I?/ He stood up and grabbed his trench-coat, siding it on, then ruffling up his shoulders. 

#Do you understand what you must do?# Seto questioned. 

/You showed me how, I learned./ Kaiba responded over the mental link. He walked over to his desk, opened the third draw from the top and picked up the Millennium Rod. The eye symbol glowed slightly, as if recognising it's master. /Although I really do not like the idea much./ 

#True enough!# Seto laughed over the link. #I myself never got used to that particular function of the Rod.# 

Kaiba chose not to comment. He moved slowly down the hall, before stopping at Mokuba's room. He slowly opened the door and looked in, smiling slightly at the sight of his younger brother sleeping so soundly. 

'At least you're not caught up in this...' He said softly, before closing the door and continuing down the corridor 

#It must be nice.... To have someone to protect.# 

/Are you softening? I thought your plans had no time for weakness./ 

#Just re-accounting for lost memories and for times long past.# Came the reply of the High Priest. #And make no mistake, he shall pay for what he took from me.# 

/Someday, you will have to tell me about what drives this insatiable urge for revenge./ Kaiba spoke mentally, opening the front door. He placed his hands in his pockets, then he walked out into the snow. There was a soft light, then High Priest Seto took over. With a smug grin, he held the Rod high in the air. There was a bright flash of golden light, then it slowly subsided. 

'And so it begins, my Pharaoh.' He chuckled under his breath. 'Soon your network of friends and contacts shall dissolve from underneath you, and then who shall save you from the hungry maws of the shadows?' 

--- 

'At least you're not caught up in all of this...' He heard Kaiba say softly, then came the soft clicking of the door closing. Mokuba waited a few more minutes, then he rose from the covers of his bed. He had noticed that his brother had been acting strangely; the mental breakdown, his occasional blanking out and even talking to himself. Not to mention the strange voice that had told him what to do. It was just one mystery after another. And so, Mokuba decided to find out for himself what exactly was the cause of all these weird things. 

He pulled on his sneakers and moved to the window, watching as his brother walked around the corner. Just as he was about to leave his room, he saw the bright, golden light. It flooded his entire room with an unearthly glow, then it slowly faded. 

'Right, now I'm curious.' Mokuba said to himself. He moved out of the room, down the stairs and then finally outside. He moved swiftly, but silently, to the edge of the fence, then peeked around the corner, just in time to see his brother take another turn. Mokuba started moving at the pace his brother usually did, an extremely fast walk. He grinned with excitement, he almost felt like one of those spies in the movies! Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, the raven-haired youth tailed his brother and tried to find an answer to his questions. 

--- 

There was a knocking at the door. At first, Isis ignored it, who the hell would call at 9:30?! But the knocking came again. With a long sigh, she opened the door, to come face-to-face with Ryou Bakura. 

'Hello.' She said simply. 'Should I ask what brings you here at 9:30?' 

'Sorry for coming so late, but this can't wait.' The white haired youth bowed politely. Isis, still not used to Japanese customs, was flattered. 'I have a few things that have to be dropped off to Malik. Is he here?' 

'Err, yes. He's upstairs, in his room. Beware, he's listening to his music.' Isis flicked a strand of black hair from her face. 'But couldn't you drop these things off tomorrow?' 

'No, it's really important that I give these to him.' Ryou responded. 'And, um, why should I beware Malik's music?' 

'Because he plays it at full blast, that's why!' Isis growled. Curiously, Ryou tilted his head sideways and listened. Sure enough, the heavy beat of a hi-fi stereo shook the house. 

'I think I'll be fine...' Ryou said, scratching the back of his neck, a small smile on his face. Isis nodded and returned to unpacking. 

Ryou started climbing the stairs until he was at what was undoubtedly Malik's room, since loud music was pumping from inside. He knocked, waited, then knocked louder. With a heavy sigh, he literally thumped the door so hard that it almost fell off its hinges. 

'COME IN, DAMN IT!' Came Malik's voice, yelling over the loud music. Ryou slowly opened the door. Malik was splayed shamelessly on his bed, reading some sort of comic, what exactly was unknown. The room was full of mess, and Ryou snorted distastefully. He closed the door and noted the "It's my mess and I love it" poster hanging on the back of it. 

'What the hell are you here for?' Malik asked, barely audible over his music. 

'I have... Something to deliver.' Ryou said, looking around the room. 

'Oh? Well, whatever it is, couldn't it wait 'til tomorrow?' 

'No...' Ryou said stoically. 'It shall start now.' 

'What the hell are you talking about?!' Malik stood up and walked towards Ryou. 'Start talking sen-' He was cut off as Ryou's fist slammed into his face. He staggered back a few paces, clutching his nose. Thankfully, it wasn't broken. 

'Shit!' Malik swore loudly. 'What the hell was that for?!' 

Ryou didn't answer. Instead, he slid his feet into a martial art position, a cold expression on his face. At first, Malik thought that Yami Bakura was in control, but then he remembered that Yami Bakura didn't do martial arts. He thought it was a waste of time, as well as it looked silly. Also, Ryou's eyes were almost blank, the pupils small dots. This look was familiar to Malik, as his Ghouls had often had the same expression. 

The expression of one who was possessed by the Rod. 

'Who are you?!' He yelled. The possessed Bakura said nothing, shifting his feet slightly. Then, as a blur, he struck out. He grabbed Malik's arm and twisted him to the ground. But before the possessed Bakura could pin him fully, Malik had rolled out from under him. As swiftly as he could, he rose to his feet. Once again, he stared into the emotionless eyes. 

'Damn....' The Egyptian whispered. 

'Make it easy, give up now.' The hollow voice of the possessed Bakura stated. 

'You kidding? This is the most fun I've had all week.' Malik smirked, trying to mask his uneasiness. 

'As you wish.' The possessed changed his position from an offensive one, to what appeared to be a defensive one. The stance was one unlike any Malik had seen, and it almost seemed to be a stance of a swordsman. 

'Being defensive? Don't you know that offence is the best defence?' Malik grinned. The possessed made no comment. Then, without warning, Malik struck. He heard a solid thump, and knew that his fist had hit its mark. Then the possessed Bakura's left fist struck Malik in the throat. As he fell, gasping for air, he noticed that all he had hit was his opponent's right arm. 

'Tch' The Possessed Bakura said, standing over Malik. 'I thought you would be a more worthy opponent. But I suppose that cards and fighting are two completely different things.' 

'Shit...' Malik said hoarsely, before coughing heavily. Blood splattered on the ground in front of him. For a while, nothing happened. Malik continued breathing, whilst the possessed Bakura stood next to him, arms folded. 

'Why are you waiting?' The Egyptian said after regaining his breath. 'Are you really so foolish as to let me get my strength back?!' 

'Waiting...' Was all that the white haired youth said. Then, without warning, he dragged Malik to his feet. From there he twisted Malik's arms behind his back, holding them there. 

'The hell?!' Malik yelled before coughing heavily. 

'You should really take some medicine for that, Tomb keeper.' A cruel chuckle resonated throughout the room, even over the heavy bass music that had been playing throughout their fight. It didn't take long for Malik to figure out who the voice belonged to. 

'I knew it was you, High Priest Seto!' Malik snarled as best as he could. As if to confirm his accusations, a large mass of shadows appeared in-front of him. Then, almost like a flower opening, the shadows peeled apart to reveal the High Priest standing in the center, his arms folded and the Rod clutched in his right hand. A cruel smile appeared on his face. 

'And so, the first of my revenges shall be exacted.' 

--- 

R&R Please.


	11. Pawn

I'm really sorry about the lateness of this update, but my life has been screwed over. First Grandpa dying, then school giving me the shits, a huge writer's block and now I've broken my leg. (Sigh) Well, I'm sure you guys will understand. (I'm on a sympathy pledge here) 

Since I've been away for a while, I'd like to thank some of my reviewers. If you don't want to read, just skip 'til you reach the title of the fic. 

I'd also like a little moral support. I'm thinking of posting some of my drawings on either DeviantART or Elfwood, but I need some support to jump that last hurdle 

For those reading My Legend of Zelda crossover, it's been posted again, but from the start. Damn! 

- 

**ShadowGoddessHikari**- You've been with me from the start, supporting me as I went along, thanks a lot. Hope your up and coming fic goes well, I know I'll read it. (I reckons Kaiba will be a good pairing too. Hehehe.... Poor Kaiba never gets a break does he? As for your Rating problem, how about you save a backup file under a different name with schoolwork or something primarily in it, or even make the changes at the last minute and post it up. I suppose the question is how often she reads it. If you want to talk to me more about this, contact me on ) 

**Alexia Black1-** I have no idea if you are still reading this, but still. You contacted me about the name, making me change it to Memories of the Shadows, which suits it more then Shadows of the Past. Thanks for that. 

**PyroDragon2006**- Another one of my starting readers. Again, thanks for being there and supporting my writing. 

**ShadowFire2**- Thanks for being there from the start. And I'm sorry about the lateness! Don't send your dragons after me! AIEEEE!!!! (Runs..... PS- Did you know that my pen name roughly means Fog-Dragon? BWHAHAHAHA! Dragon freaks forever!) 

**Sweetbriar**- Another one who's been there for me since the start. You're fic rocks, and I'm sorry I haven't been reading it. Haven't been in a Reading/Writing mood lately. And yes, I did make up that recharging idea. Lol, The millennium puzzle is Eco-friendly! =P 

**Kikoken**- You came later, but have supported me since. I hope that there's enough plot twits for ya! =P 

**Celeb'ronyo**- Thanks for reviewing in all of my fics. Your support was much needed! 

**Minor Arcana-** WORSHIP! (Bows down, then winces because of broken leg) Your fic rocks so much! I am so honoured that you like mine. Thank you for your support. 

**ALL OTHERS AND ALL THOSE TO COME-** Thank you so much. I couldn't have gotten this far without you. 

Wow, that was really awkward. Now, let's go to the main fic. 

- 

**Memories of the Shadows**

A Yu-gi-oh fanfic 

Disclamer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh and most of the other things in this fic. 

/Hikari to Yami/ 

#Yami to Hikari# 

{Thoughts} 

****

****

**Chapter 10- Pawn**

'It has been a long time, Tomb Keeper.' The High Priest said, walking around the room. 'Although, we never really met. You took over before I could contact you.' 

'What the hell do you mean?' Malik said hoarsely, sucking in deep breaths. 

'When you first came into contact with the Rod, of course. You didn't think that I wasn't there, did you?' He crouched down, coming face-to-face with Malik. 'We could have negotiated. I could have lent you my power for a time, until I located my true reincarnation, but no. You forced yourself into the rod, squeezing my soul into a small corner.' 

'That wasn't me!' Malik yelled suddenly, pulling himself towards Seto. The possessed Bakura snarled and pulled him back. 'And you know it.' He glared at the High Priest, who laughed cruelly. 

'But he was! Was he not a side of you, composed of your negative emotions?' He raised an eyebrow, the cruel smirk still on his face. Malik said nothing, hanging his head down weakly, trying to regain strength. 

'Now, here comes the hard part.' Seto slowly paced around the room, twirling the Rod. 'What should I do with you?' 

'You're not turning me into a slave like Bakura?' Malik raised an eyebrow. 

'Tch! You think me a fool!' Seto glared coldly at the Egyptian. 'I know all of the Millennium Rod's powers; and I also know that since you once possessed the Rod, that you are immune to most of them.' 

'Seems I've escaped your wrath then.' Malik said on impulse, not really meaning it. 

'Not quite. It just means that I have to be a bit more creative then usual.' The malevolent smirk once again appeared on Seto's face, sending a chill down Malik's spine. 'I could kill you,' He mused. ' But that would raise questions. As would sending you to the Shadow Realm, plus I'm sure that you would eventually escape from there anyway.' 

Seto started walking around again, tapping his chin with the head of the Rod. Malik watched his movements with a detached terror, whilst the Possessed Bakura watched with an almost bored look. Seto stopped suddenly, an even more chilling and cruel smile appearing on his face. 

'Of course...' He said, almost whispering. 'Why should I neglect what is already there?' 

'What the hell are you talking about?' 

'And in doing so, I gain your servitude.' Seto locked his gaze with the Possessed Bakura. A moment of silence, then the Possessed shuddered. 

'You are willing to go this far?' He asked. 'Just to settle your lust for revenge?' 

'You know nothing about my lust!' Seto snarled angrily. The Possessed winced. 

_Do it._

The command was mental, stimulated by the rod. The possessed Bakura looked at Malik, his face a toss up between stoicism and sympathy, before he twisted him around, lifting up his shirt and revealing the tattoo on his back. 

'What?!' Malik yelled, trying to wriggle his way out of the iron strong grip. Seto paused, turning the music up on Malik's stereo system, then placing a magical sound barrier around them. Malik yelled for help, but his efforts were futile. Seto revealed the hidden blade on the Millennium Rod, murmuring words of the ancient language of the Egyptian Priests. Then he slowly dragged the blade over the tattoos. Blood dripped down, then retracted back into the wound, making it glow a bright cherry red. Malik screamed in pain, barely hanging onto consciousness. Within a few minutes, Seto was finished. All of Malik's back was glowing, as if molten metal had been poured onto it. To Malik's perspective, it just might well have been. 

'If you say anything about this, or reveal any information about me or the Rod to the others,' Seto smiled and clicked his fingers, the pain suddenly flaring up again. Malik had to bite his lip to stop himself from screaming out again. He slowly lifted his head, and looked into the crazed eyes of the High Priest. 

'And now, I must take my leave.' Seto stepped into the shadows, disappearing from view. The Possessed Bakura slowly let Malik out of his hold, then he picked up his stuff and started towards the door. 

'Why?' Malik asked hoarsely, shuddering in pain. 

'Because I have no choice. Because I have to protect those who have no place in these events,' The Possessed turned to face Malik, his face emotionless. 'And because I couldn't stop him even if I tried.' He turned back around and continued his decent. Malik slumped onto the ground, thin wisps of steam seeping from the cooling tattoos. 

'The poor devil.' He whispered weakly, before slipping into a fitful sleep. 

- 

'News flash: Malik Ishtar has come to school!' Jounouchi mocked, his hands making a camera. Malik, in a bad mood, simply pushed the energetic blonde away. 

'You seem preoccupied.' Yugi commented. 'Anything wrong?' 

'Nothing!' He snapped, tearing his gaze from Yugi's. 

'We both know that's a lie.' Yugi said seriously. 'It's about the Magic isn't it.' 

Malik was about to open his mouth when his back started throbbing in pain. A warning, it would seem. 

_Give him any more information, knowingly or otherwise, and I guarantee that you **will **live to regret it._

__Seto's voice echoed through Malik's head, reminding him that he was worse off the Bakura; at least he didn't know he was a pawn. 

'Leave me be!' Malik growled angrily, walking away from Yugi and his group. Why did they have to be so nosey?! Damn them. Damn the High Priest. Damn Yami Malik. And damn himself for not disposing of the Rod properly. 

Yugi watched Malik walk away, knowing that there was something different about him. 

'He hasn't changed.' Jou humped, folding his arms. 'You'd think that he would have lightened up a little.' 

'I don't know.' Yugi replied. 'He seemed in better spirit at the airport. I think something must have happened, something to do with our magic problem.' 

'..... Mm? What where you saying?' 

'Nothing.' Yugi sighed. It was always the same. Whenever he tried to explain what was happening, the others would just space out and miss the entire conversation. Only the Millennium Item owners seemed to be immune to this. That also meant that there was only three people, including himself, that could help with the crisis. He sighed again. 

'Yugi, I need to talk to you.' Ryou said hurriedly, as he walked past. Confusedly, Yugi followed. They walked down corridors until they got to an empty room. 

'What is it Bakura?' Yugi asked. At first, Ryou said nothing, simply glancing around the room. Then he took off the Millennium Ring and placed it on a desk. 

'... I think that my Yami is somehow involved in this.' He said quietly. 

'What makes you think that?' Yugi asked. 

'My Yami possesses me often, and usually I have an inkling about what for. But recently....' He paused, looking down at the ground. 'Last night at nine, he took over. I regained control an hour and a half later. My shirt was bloodstained, for once not my own, and I felt extremely fatigued. When I enquired about what happened, my Yami simply told me to keep my nose out of other people's business.' 

#DAMN THE GRAVE ROBBER! HE'S BEEN LEADING US ON ALL ALONG!# Yami yelled from his soul room. 

'We shouldn't draw conclusions.' Yugi said to both Ryou and Yami. 'I mean, we must remember that we're up against the Rod.' 

'That makes it even worse then!' Ryou said miserably. 'Who knows, he may be listening even now. All our plans would have been for nothing.' 

The bell ran at that point. Ryou slowly picked up the Ring and once again placed it around his neck. The two then slowly trudged back to class. 

Malik also went to class, taking his seat. A perfect seat too, right in front of the High Priest. He could feel the ice cold eyes boring into his back now. 

Kaiba sighed heavily. He was caught up in a series of events that he had no control over. He did not like this feeling. His eyes narrowed. It was time to wrest control from his past life. 

Seto was too deep in thought to detect the mutinous ideas from Kaiba. The pharaoh was too close to discovering his true identity. He needed a plan to divert attention away from him and to give him time to prepare for the final attack. He could use the Tomb robber, but that would dissolve too soon. He needed something new, something unexpected. 

At that moment, Otogi Ryuji walked in from his four week vacation. An idea formed, and the High Priest smiled. 

- 

R&R Please. Hope this chapter makes up for the long wait. And such a plot twist! Oooh, evil...


End file.
